Counter Proposals
by Trinity Everett
Summary: <html><head></head>A long drive deserves a lazy afternoon. A Caskett future!fic.</html>


**Title**: Counter Proposals

**Pairing:** Castle/Beckett

**Rating**: T, I suppose

**Summary**: A long drive deserves a lazy afternoon.

**Notes**: Inspired by another sweet photo (which apparently I'm not allowed to even fake link to, so if you're interested in seeing it, send me a message and I'll point you to my tumblr post). No specified timeline, possibly future!fic, but nothing specific mentioned. Enjoy!

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><p>He meets her at the front door with a kiss and a glass of white wine. It's still relatively early in the day, but she worked all night and drove straight after her shift ended. Wine and his gentle touches are exactly what she needs right now. She may need a little more (of the naked and sweaty variety, of course) once she shakes off the numbness in her ass from the drive, but for now she'll appreciate him with her eyes and not her hands or her mouth.<p>

God, he looks good. She hasn't seen him in almost three weeks and everything about him - from the forearms peeking out beneath rolled up sleeves, to the curve of his ass in those jeans, to the beard he's apparently been working on since the morning he kissed her last - drives her crazy. Three weeks of case work and a book deadline that drove him to hide out in their house in the Hamptons is too long to go without him. She misses him after just a few days, three weeks is ridiculous. Never again if she can help it.

They make it halfway to the kitchen before she gives in and uses her free hand to haul him closer, kissing him hard. His greeting kiss was sweet, but she needs this. She needs the clash of teeth, the hot slide of his lips on hers. She needs his panting breath against her mouth as her knees negotiate whether they'll hold her weight or not.

Finally, Castle hums against her mouth. "Hi."

"Hi," she breathes, combing her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. "Missed you."

He grins, his cheeks flushing with delight. "Missed you, too, Kate."

His hand flirts under the hem of her blouse to settle against her back. She shifts closer, arching into him even more as his thumb presses deliciously into that spot her car seat always leaves sore. His groan is half-amused, half-aroused at the move, and she steals another slow kiss, relishing in the press of their lips.

"How's the writing? Any more scenes you need me to veto?"

For the last week, he's been emailing her snippets he swears he wants to put into the book. Mostly they read like smutty Nikki/Rook fanfics (well-written, of course, Castle has a gift after all) with thinly disguised hints of what he's been planning for this weekend. Only a few could possibly have any place in the book and she's told him so, but she wouldn't mind hearing about any other options. Preferably in demonstration form.

"Mhmm, I have a few ideas I could run by you." He wiggles his eyebrows, nipping at her lower lip.

"I like the sound of that." She squeezes his neck. "Are you working now?"

"Just on dinner, come on." He backs away, taking her hand gently. "I wanted to get it prepped so we can just throw it on the grill later."

"Sounds great," she agrees, squeezing his hand. "Let's swim when we finish that."

It's probably a little chilly for a swim, but she's been cooped up in the precinct and at home for too long. The bathtub, large as it may be, just isn't cutting it. She wants the chance to do a couple laps before enticing him into a chilly clinch.

Castle wiggles his eyebrows. "I already turned the heater on. I can anticipate your every need, Beckett."

"I know you do, Babe, I know, she hums, pushing him the rest of the way into the kitchen.

He's been busy. Mixing bowls are in the sink, pans on the stove; she even sees the remnants of the vegetables he's chopped. Whatever blend of spices he's chosen for dinner smell fantastic and she has to sip her wine to keep her mouth from watering. Oh, she's probably hungry, too.

"I'll get the dishes," she volunteers, setting her glass down and pushing her sleeves up. "What are you done with?"

"Ah, ah, you won't get the dishes, Kate. You worked all night. You will drink your wine and relax." He kisses her cheek quickly, reaching around her to wipe the counter down. "I will take care of this mess."

Oh, he's sweet. Fatigue is pulling at her, but she won't give in, otherwise the entire afternoon will be shot. Instead, she hops onto the counter easily, rubbing her foot against his knee. He looks mock scandalized in return, earning the usual roll of her eyes. She steals a leftover piece of bell pepper, chewing thoughtfully.

"What are you making now?" she asks after a sip of wine. He's made no move to turn on the water in the sink. Instead he's on his way to a new concoction.

His hand lands on her thigh, fingers curling warmly against her pants. Her leg flexes at the gentle swipe of his thumb.

"Dessert," he answers quickly, leaning in to sample the wine from her lips.

"Mhmm." She palms his cheek. "You think we need dessert, Castle? I kind of had other plans."

His face falls for a brief moment before he recovers. "Sure, sure. Whatever you want, Kate."

She nuzzles his jaw, grazing her teeth against that beard of his to get to his chin. "You. I'm having you for dessert."

The spoon drops from his fingers with a clang. "O-oh. Even better."

She grins. "Yeah?" Her lips slide back to his ear. "You wanna have dessert before dinner?"

Unsurprisingly, her proposal meets no resistance. And they still eat his treat later on.


End file.
